To commemorate World AIDS Day (December 1), Tony-nominated playwright Matthew López and The AIDS Memorial joined forces for The Walter Project.
Inspired by the AIDS Quilt, Walter’s speech at the end of the first act of Lopez's Tony-nominated The Inheritance was divided into 33 sections and recorded by a host of artists and others.
Taking part in the video are John Lithgow, Lena Waithe, Ashley Park, John-Andrew Morrison, Connor Jessup, Marisa Tomei, Jordan E. Cooper, Andrea Martin, John Cameron Mitchell, Austin Smith, Aya Cash, Raúl Castillo, Michael Zegen, AnnaSophia Robb, Tituss Burgess, Russell Tovey, Nathan Lane, Judith Light, Mandy Gonzalez, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Denée Benton, Bill Irwin, Wilson Cruz, Robert Fairchild, Cynthia Erivo, Michael Urie, Leslie Odom, Jr., Maulik Pancholy, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Glenn Close, Jocelyn Bioh, Lucas Hedges, and Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Watch the moving The Walter Project above.
"In this year of loss, it is vitally important to continue the tradition of remembrance that began with the unveiling of the Quilt back in 1987," reads a statement. "And while today we remember those whom we lost to AIDS, we hope this spirit will also extend to those we have lost this year to COVID, to police violence, and to the neglect of government and society."
